


The New Family on the Block

by smile_for_me



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Family Fluff, Fluff, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-20
Updated: 2013-11-04
Packaged: 2017-12-29 22:25:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1010842
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smile_for_me/pseuds/smile_for_me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The one where Liam and Zayn adopt a child named Louis, and the stories that go along with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. How it all Started

Zayn and Liam were excited, very excited. Today was the day that they would finally get to meet and take home the little boy they had decided to adopt. The couple had been married for almost three years, and they and their friends had been waiting for ages for them to finally be able to take their son home. They were driving to the group home in Yorkshire and both of them were hardly able to contain their excitement. 

The boy they were on their way to pick up was Louis William Tomlinson, a three-almost four- year old boy. His mum had passed away when he was nearly two, leaving him with his abusive father. One day the neighbors had heard screaming and shouting coming from the Tomlinson house. Long story short, Louis had been taken away and put into the group home right after his third birthday. 

When they were finally at the group home that their Louis was staying at, Liam parked the car and they got out, grabbing hands and lacing their fingers together as they walked inside. They went up to the front desk where a worker was waiting to greet them. “Hello, you must be Mr. and Mr. Mayne?”  
The two men smiled and nodded. “Yes, I’m Liam, and this is Zayn.” Liam replied.  
She smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both, I’m Marie, I talked with your social worker, Carol, just a few minutes ago.”  
Liam and Zayn smiled and shared a glance with each other, then Zayn asked, “Is everything in order then?”  
Marie smiled and nodded. “Yes, I just need you to sign a few papers and then we can go and get Louis.” 

They grinned as Marie got the papers out. They both signed what needed to be signed, and then the three of them walked with each other back to where all the children were playing around.  
“Louis!” Marie called, a smile plastered on her face.  
A little boy with feathery brown hair and blue eyes looked up from where he was coloring at the table. She smiled and ushered him over, he came obediently. “Yes, Miss Marie?” He asked quietly, his voice high and his face inquisitive, especially of the two men standing behind her.  
“Can you go pack up your things? These men are going to adopt you.” Marie said cheerfully. Louis looked at them more closely and decided that maybe he would like to go home with them, so he nodded a little and ran off to go get his things together.

Marie turned and looked at Liam and Zayn again. “He doesn’t talk too much until he starts to trust you, then he never really stops.” She said, laughing a little bit. “It’ll take a little bit, but I’m sure he’ll love you two. Your file seems great, and you seem very excited to have him.”  
They both smiled and nodded. “We are, we’ve been waiting to add someone to our family for ages.” Liam said.  
Marie smiled at him. “You’re just what he needs.”

She almost continued, but right then Louis came back up with a red backpack on his back, and a stuffed teddy bear in his hands. He looked up at Marie and she smiled encouragingly, pushing him gently toward Liam and Zayn. Louis looked up at them innocently. They both smiled and crouched down so they were closer to his height.  
“Hello, Louis.” Liam said quietly.  
“Hello.” Louis replied in a small voice.  
Liam smiled. “My name is Liam, and this is Zayn.” He answered quietly, gesturing to himself and his husband in turn. Zayn smiled at him and waved a little. Louis waved back, smiling the smallest bit.  
“Hello Mister Zayn and Mister Liam.” He said softly. “It’s nice to meet you.”  
They smiled wider. “It’s nice to meet you too, Louis.” Zayn replied quietly. “Do you think you’d want to come home with us?” Louis nodded shyly as he seemed to shrink back into himself, not wanting to get hurt again. Zayn smiled a little at him.  
“Is there anyone you’d like to say goodbye to, first?” Liam asked.  
Louis shook his head. “No thank you. Do we get to ride in a car?” He asked, his eyes brightening a bit at the thought of it.  
Liam chuckled. “Yes, we do. Our house is a long ways away, so we get to ride in a car for a few hours.”  
Louis smiled a half-smile. “Do we get to leave right now?” he asked, his voice so sweet and innocent.  
They nodded. “Yes, let’s go then, if you want to.” Zayn said.  
Louis nodded quickly. “Yes, I would love to.” He said quietly.

They both smiled and stood up. Louis looked up at them and hesitantly took Liam’s hand when he offered it. Liam smiled and he and Zayn thanked Marie for all her help. They all three walked out to Liam’s car and Liam helped Louis get into the carseat they had gotten for him. He smiled a little at them, feeling safe in the carseat, but also worried that maybe it was just there to hold him down. He held tight to his teddy bear, but let his backpack be put by his feet. Liam got into the driver’s seat and Zayn sat in front of Louis in the passenger seat. They started to drive home, the two of them glancing back at Louis every once in a while, almost to make sure he was still there, because he was so quiet. Every time they looked back, he was staring out the window, looking at all the cars passing by in awe. 

After a little while, they noticed him start to drift off, and by they time they were halfway home, he was fast asleep. Liam and Zayn both smiled but stayed silent, not wanting to wake him up. Zayn just took Liam’s free hand in his own and kissed his cheek quickly. They both smiled at each other and didn’t say a word the whole rest of the way home.

When they got back to Liam and Zayn’s- and now Louis’s- two bedroom house, Louis was still fast asleep. They both got out and Liam took Louis’s bag, while Zayn carefully unstrapped the little boy from his carseat. He picked him up gently, making sure that the boy still had his teddy bear tucked under his arm. Louis didn't stir, just snuggled into Zayn's chest, seeking the warmth of the body heat that Zayn offered. Zayn smiled and held the boy close to him, closing the car door and walking up to their house. Liam had left the door open, so Zayn walked inside and quietly kicked the door shut behind him. He frowned when he didn't see Liam there, but then he heard a soft cooing noise and he turned toward it. Liam quickly snapped a picture of Zayn holding the sleeping boy with his phone and grinned.  
"You two look adorable." Liam murmured, pecking Zayn's lips quickly. "Do you want me to put him in his bed?"  
Zayn shook his head, looking at the fair-skinned boy in his arms fondly. "No, I've got it." He said softly, turning down the hallway and into Louis's room. 

The two far walls from the door were painted red, and the other two were blue. There was a closet in the blue wall to the left of the door, it had a closet organizer in it, with shelves and rods for hanging clothes that were empty because Liam and Zayn had been afraid to buy clothes that were the wrong size, so they figured that they could take care of that when Louis was with them. Louis's bed was in the center of the room, the back of it was pushed against the far red wall and there was a window a few inches above the top of the headboard of the bed. The bed itself was simple, low to the ground in case the boy fell off somehow, it had red sheets and a blue comforter with red pillowcases on the pillows. Liam and Zayn had chosen the colors themselves- along with the help of their friends Harry and Niall- because the colors were simple and any little boy should like them.

Zayn walked into the red-and-blue-themed room. He held Louis in one arm, which wasn't hard considering how light the boy was, and pulled back the blanket on his bed. He carefully laid the boy down and then tucked the blanket around him, kissing his forehead before standing up straight and looking down at him. Louis had his hands tucked under his chins with his teddy bear in between his arms. Zayn smiled and walked out of the room, flicking the light off, but leaving the door open. 

Liam was waiting for him on the couch when Zayn came back.  
"Is he still asleep?" Liam asked.  
Zayn nodded, smiling a bit. "Yeah, he's still asleep."  
Liam smiled. "He's adorable, isn't he?"  
Zayn nodded again, smiling even more. "He is. I already love him."  
Liam chuckled. "So do I." He said and kissed Zayn's lips.  
Zayn smiled and kissed him back, closing his eyes. 

They were both so happy to have their little boy home with them.


	2. Nightmares and New Beginnings

_"Louis! Where the hell are you?!" His father's voice rang through the house. Louis shook with fear, trying his best to disappear into the corner of his room that was farthest away from the door. He heard the sound of his father's footsteps coming toward his room and he whimpered. Louis knew that his father had been drinking that awful smelling brown liquid again, and that made him even more mean than he already was. "Louis William Tomlinson!!! Get out here right now!" Louis's father yelled angrily. The door to Louis's room was pushed open and in came his father, his face red from anger and from alcohol. He looked around the room and his eyes landed on Louis, he practically growled and started toward the boy. Louis tried to scramble backwards, but the wall was there and he couldn't move backwards. He screamed in fear as his father's hands extended toward him-_

Louis woke up screaming with tears falling down his face. Liam and Zayn were almost immediately in the room, practically falling over each other to see who could get there faster. Liam was the first one by his side, and Louis didn't even hesitate to clutch onto Liam's shirt, sobbing into it. Louis might have backed away if Liam had looked more like his father, or if Liam's face was red like he had been drinking the bad stuff that made him angry. But he wasn't, so Louis just sobbed, making Liam wrap his arms around the small child.  
"Shh," Liam murmured. "I've got you, love..you're okay.."  
Louis just shook his head and kept crying, his hands clenching tighter around Liam's shirt. Liam didn't mind though, sure he was worried about Louis. The boy had obviously had a nightmare, and that was probably something that would happen regularly, Liam was just glad that the boy was holding onto him, that was a good sign that Louis was beginning to trust the two men. 

After a few minutes, Louis's cries were downgraded to just sniffles, but his hands were still clenched around Liam's shirt. Liam rubbed slow circles on his back, trying to calm him down even more. After a moment, Louis looked up at him, his eyes red from crying. Liam gently wiped away some tears from Louis's face with the pad of his thumb.  
"Are you alright, love?" He whispered.  
Louis sniffled and instead of answering the question, asked, "You not going to hurt Louis?"  
Liam and Zayn both shook their heads quickly. "We're not going to hurt you." Liam confirmed.  
Louis bit his lip to stop it from quivering as he looked up at the two men. He didn't reply and instead unclenched his fists from Liam's shirt and wrap his arms around him, hugging him as tight as he could.  
Liam smiled and hugged him back. Zayn smiled at the sight of how adorable they were. 

After a few moments, they pulled apart and Louis looked up at him.  
"Thank you Mister Liam." He said quietly.  
Liam smiled a little. "You're very welcome, Louis." He replied softly. "Are you hungry? It's about lunchtime."  
Louis nodded slowly. "Yes." He said, his voice still soft.  
Liam stood up. "Perfect, we can have lunch, and then we'll show you around the house, yeah?"  
Louis nodded a little and slowly got out of the bed, looking around his room.  
Zayn noticed him looking around. "Do you like it?" He asked.  
Louis looked up at him, cocking his head to the side a little in confusion.  
"The room." Zayn clarified.  
"Oh," Louis said before nodding. "yes, I like it very much, Mister Zayn."  
Zayn smiled. "Good, I'm glad."  
"Red is my favorite color." Louis said matter-of-factly, his voice was louder than it had been before.  
Zayn smiled. "I'm glad we chose it, then."  
Louis smiled a little bit back before following Liam out into the kitchen. 

Zayn followed behind them, smiling when he saw that Louis was toting along his faded teddy bear, it's legs dragging on the floor. When they got to the kitchen, Liam asked Louis what he wanted for lunch. Zayn kept his eyes on Louis who was starting to do a bit of a dance, but Louis didn't say anything except to ask for grilled cheese. Zayn frowned and Louis went over and crawled up and sat on one of the chairs at the kitchen table. He looked uncomfortable, and had one hand over his crotch. Zayn bit his lip lightly.  
"Louis?" He asked.  
Louis looked up at him. "Yes, Mister Zayn?" He asked.  
"Do you need to use the toilet?"  
Louis blushed slightly and nodded a little. "Yes, please."  
Zayn chuckled a bit. "Come on, I'll show you where it is." He said, motioning for Louis to follow him to the hallway.  
Louis slid off the chair and quickly went after Zayn. Zayn showed him that the bathroom was right across from his room. Louis thanked him quickly and then went into the bathroom. 

Zayn smiled and went back into the kitchen where Liam was humming to himself while he put the sandwiches on the grill. Zayn chuckled quietly to himself and went up behind him, wrapping his arms around his husband's waist. Liam jumped a little and Zayn laughed, kissing his cheek.  
"It's just me, love." He whispered.  
Liam relaxed, his body leaning against Zayn's. "You surprised me."  
"That was my goal." The Bradford man replied, kissing his cheek again.  
Liam turned his head and kissed Zayn on the lips, smiling. "I love you." He murmured.  
Zayn smiled too. "I love you too." He replied and kissed Liam again, just for a second though because he heard the sound of little footsteps so he pulled away and unwrapped his arms from around Liam, leaning against the counter instead as he watched Louis sit back down in his seat.

Louis still held his teddy bear in his lap. He looked down at it and played with it's arms, making it bounce around a little bit. Zayn smiled, watching the boy intently. He already loved Louis even if he had only been with them for a few hours. Zayn watched him lovingly until Liam announced that lunch was ready and set a plate of sandwiches on the table, along with a bowl of strawberries. He put plates in front of Louis's, Zayn's and his own spots before sitting down next to Louis. Zayn sat down across from Louis and next to Liam (it was a square table) and took one of the sandwiches and put it on his plate. Liam did the same. Louis looked between the two of them for a second before hesitantly reaching out and taking one of the sandwiches. When neither of the two men protested, he slowly brought his hand back to himself and took a bite of the sandwich. He was watching Liam and Zayn carefully-his father used to hit him when he ate when he wasn't supposed to, so he was scared that maybe he wasn't allowed to eat any of the sandwiches. However, neither Zayn nor Liam said or did anything that would make Louis think they were going to hurt him, so he happily ate his sandwich, and his second, and a few strawberries as well. When the three of them were finished, Zayn quickly did the dishes while Liam helped Louis wash his hands. Then Liam and Zayn started to show Louis around their small house.

They started with the family room which was the main room of the house. The door opened up into it, and both the kitchen and the hallway came off of it, but the room itself wasn't much. It had a television, a couch, a chair, a coffee table, and a cabinet full of movies. There was also a bookcase and a desk pushed up against one wall. Liam would use the desk when he had to bring his a case home to work on it. Liam was a lawyer at a local law firm, and he was one of the best, especially for being among the youngest. Zayn would use the desk when he couldn't find a decent place to sketch, but he also liked the view from the window which was right above the desk. Zayn would also sit there on his laptop when he was writing any of his books. Zayn was the substitute English teacher at a nearby secondary school, but he was also an aspiring writer, and he just loved to draw and paint- really anything to do with art he enjoyed. In a few years, Louis would sit at that desk to do his homework, that is if neither of his parents were already occupying it.

From the family room, they went down the hallway to the bathroom, and then again into Louis's room, and then they went into the master bedroom. Liam and Zayn's room had a bed, two nightstands, a small television, a walk-in closet, and a master bathroom. Like the rest of the house, the room was on the smaller side, but that didn't make the two men love it any less. 

They showed Louis where the hall closet was, that was where they kept their heavy winter jackets and also a few other odds and ends.

Finally, they came to Zayn's favorite place in the house, the garage. The garage was small, and it was a bit different from most other ones in other families. About a quarter of the room was just a storage place- which is what garages are normally used for- but the rest of the room was filled with Zayn's art supplies. It had blankets, white types of blankets that you would use on the floor if you were painting, not only on the floor, but also on hung on the walls. There was paint everywhere and a few canvases and sketches and drawing hung up on the wall not covered by the blanket. On the the remaining wall, there were shelves which were filled with crates. Inside the crates were cans of spray paint and pencils, brushes and canvases, sketch books and pastels. Just about every type of artistic equipment that exists, Zayn had it. There was also a small fold-up table with a simple office chair that Zayn would sit at when he needed to.

When they walked in, Louis's jaw dropped in awe. He fell in love with the room instantly, and in the years to come he would come in and sit on the steps leading up to the door and just watch Zayn while he worked. He would talk to him about everything, and he would eventually learn to draw and paint almost as well as Zayn did. 

Zayn saw Louis's expression when they walked in and grinned. Zayn spent most of his time in this room- the close second was his bedroom where he could easily sleep the day away when Liam was gone. Liam occasionally had to literally drag Zayn out of the garage just to have a decent conversation with him because Zayn was just too absorbed in whatever he was doing to pay attention to his husband. Zayn gave Louis permission to wander around and look at and touch whatever he wanted to. Louis ran his fingers over the dried paint that was on the blanket hung on the wall, and Zayn took a mental picture of it, knowing that that was what he would sketch as soon as he had the chance.

After a while, Louis felt that he had seen everything he needed to and they went back into the family room. By then, they had successfully wasted away most of the afternoon, and it was about time to start making dinner. Zayn was going to cook because Liam had made lunch for them. Liam sat down with Louis on the couch and turned on Toy Story for them to watch together. Louis was holding his teddy bear close to his chest when Zayn left the two of them alone. By the time he came back to tell them that the pasta he had made was ready, Liam had his arm around Louis's small body and Louis was curled up against his chest with his thumb in his mouth. Liam looked up when he heard Zayn and then reached for the remote to pause the movie.  
"C'mon Lou, dinner's ready." He murmured.  
Louis looked up at him and quickly pulled his thumb out of his mouth and slowly got up with Liam, they went to the kitchen and ate the pasta Zayn had prepared. They talked about what they were going to do tomorrow when they would go out for a day and buy Louis clothes and have lunch out and stuff. When they finished dinner, they all went out to the couch to finish the movie. By the time it was over, Louis was fast asleep, his head against Zayn's chest, and his feet curled up into Liam's lap. Both of the men smiled and Liam carefully moved and picked Louis up. The two men went into his room and Liam laid him down. They tucked the blanket around him and each pressed a kiss to his forehead, each whispering 'I love you' before going out of the room. They left the door open, and Liam went back to the couch, Zayn soon joined him, a sketchbook and a pencil in hand. Liam turned on a show, and curled up against Zayn while he sketched the image of Louis he still had in his head, both of them thinking about their son and the amazing years they would spend together.


	3. The First Morning

At about three in the morning, Liam woke up to Louis crying, _another nightmare._ he thought and unwrapped his arms from around Zayn and got up. He looked at his husband who was still fast asleep and sighed a little, Zayn could sleep through just about anything. He probably hadn't even heard Louis crying. Liam sighed again and went out into the hallway to Louis's room. 

When he got there, the little boy was sitting up on his bed, holding onto his teddy bear tightly. His while body was shaking, partly from crying, but mostly from fear. He was afraid that his father was going to find him and hurt him again, even though that wasn't possible considering his father was in prison. Liam went over to him and Louis looked up, scared. Once he saw that it wasn't his father, he reached his arms out for Liam to pick him up. Liam obliged and gathered the small boy up in his arms. Louis wrapped his arms around Liam's neck, taking a few deep breaths to stop himself from crying. Liam moved his arms under Louis's bum to hold him upright, he frowned when he felt something wet. He glanced over at Louis's bed and saw a wet patch on the sheet. When Louis had calmed down, Liam asked,  
"Lou? Did you have an accident, love?"  
Louis held on to Liam's neck tighter. "I sorry! I sorry Mister Liam!" He exclaimed, starting to cry again.  
"Shh, shh..." Liam murmured, rubbing Louis's back. "It's okay, I'm not mad."  
Louis sniffled and looked up at him. "Not mad at me?"  
Liam shook his head. "No, love. I'm not mad at you. Let's just get you cleaned up, okay?"  
Louis nodded and sniffled again. "Okay."  
Liam set Louis down. "Why don't you get some new clothes from your bag?"  
Louis nodded and went over to his backpack to get them. 

Liam quickly took the sheets off of Louis's bed and took them into the laundry room (which was the one room they had forgotten to show Louis). He put them in the washer and started it. When he got back to Louis's room, the boy had discarded all of his clothes except for his wet briefs and was holding the only set of pajamas he had. He looked up at Liam when he came in. Liam smiled and picked him up, taking him into the bathroom. He got a washcloth wet with warm water and helped Louis take his underwear off. He quickly wiped down his crotch and his bum before helping Louis put on his pajamas.  
"How about you come and sleep with me and Zayn?" Louis looked up at him, startled. "Really?"  
Liam nodded and picked Louis up. "Sure, your sheets are in the washer, you can come seep with us."  
"B-but what if I have a accident again?" Louis asked quietly, slipping his thumb into his mouth and leaning into Liam involuntarily, his eyelids getting heavier with sleep.  
"It'll be fine, Lou." Liam said and kissed Louis's forehead.

He walked out of the bathroom and turned off the light. He turned down the hallway and went into the master room where his raven-haired husband was still fast asleep. Louis was already half-way asleep when Liam laid him down next to Zayn. Liam then slipped into bed next to him. He laid down on his side and put his arm around Louis, but his arm also reached over and rested on Zayn's waist. Louis snuggled into Liam's chest, and Zayn's arm automatically went around Louis's small form. Louis instantly fell asleep, feeling safe resting in between the two men.

*****

That morning, Zayn woke up and saw not only Liam in the bed with him, but also Louis. He frowned a little bit in confusion but then realized that Louis must have woken up in the middle of the night and Liam had heard him. Zayn rolled over and looked at the clock to see what time it was. He sighed a little when he saw that it was only seven thirty. He normally didn't wake up until after eight thirty, of course Liam was normally awake by eight- sometimes earlier if he had to get to work early. Zayn slowly sat up and reached for his glasses. He slid them on and looked at the clock again to make sure he had seen it right. He sighed when he realized that he had. He glanced over at Liam and Louis and smiled a little to himself. He threw his legs over the side of the bed and his sock-covered feet hit the ground. He had slept shirtless so he grabbed a thin white t-shirt and pulled it on, fixing his glasses when he messed them up. He ran a hand through his hair and padded out to the kitchen. He filled the kettle up with water and put it on the burner, figuring he would make some tea considering Liam would be up soon along with Louis. He put the water on to boil and then ran his fingers through his hair again. He wandered over to the couch where he had left his sketchbook which was opened to the page he had been drawing on last night.

The drawing was of Louis. He was standing in the garage with one hand holding his teddy bear and his other hand was reached out and touching the wall that was covered with splatter paint. In the background were the shelving units that were filled with crates of art supplies. Zayn had only finished part of the drawing because he didn’t quite have the picture of the things that were in all of the crates and he didn’t want to get anything wrong. He went out to the garage and took a look at the wall filled with crates. He took a mental picture of them, something he was pretty good at, and then went back out and grabbed his sketchbook and pencil. He went into the kitchen and sat down at the table before starting to sketch out everything that was in the crates. 

Zayn fell into the stupor that overcame him whenever he was drawing, and was only brought out of it by a whistling sound from the kettle. He set his pencil down and stood up, going over to the stove. He turned the burner off and got down two mugs. He filled them up with the steaming tea and grabbed them both. He took a sip out of one of them and then slowly went back to the bedroom. When he got there, Liam was awake and sitting up, leaning against the headboard. He looked like he would have gotten up, but Louis’s head was resting against his legs.  
Liam looked up as Zayn walked in and smiled sleepily. “Thank you.” He whispered as Zayn handed him the tea. “I was wondering where you were.”  
Zayn got back into bed, being careful not to wake Louis up. “I woke up for some reason.”  
Liam chuckled and took a sip of his tea. “That’s strange for you.”  
Zayn nodded in agreement and looked down at Louis. “Did he wake up last night?”  
Liam nodded. “Yeah, and he had an accident so I told him he could sleep with us.”  
Zayn nodded a little. “Sorry I didn’t wake up.” He said sheepishly.  
Liam smiled. “It’s fine, love. I know you don’t wake up easy.”  
Zayn nodded again. “We should buy him some pull-ups when he go out today. To sleep in.”  
Liam nodded and smiled. “I knew there was a reason I married you. I didn’t even think of that.”  
Zayn chuckled. “Yeah, that’s why you married me.” He said sarcastically.  
Liam laughed. “It really is.”  
They both smiled and Zayn leaned over and pecked his lips.  
“I love it in the morning because you wear your glasses." Liam murmured.  
Zayn smiled, even blushing slightly. "Thanks." He mumbled.  
Liam grinned and kissed him again. "You're welcome."  
Zayn smiled and drank some more of his tea. 

The two men sat in silence for a while, each of them occasionally glancing down at the boy sleeping in between them. Zayn finished his tea and kissed Liam once more before getting up and taking a shower. He got dressed and did his hair and (much to Liam's dislike) put his contacts in. When he came back, he moved Louis around carefully so that the boy was snuggled up to him instead of Liam. Liam then took his turn taking a shower and getting dressed. He fixed his hair and then went out into the kitchen to start making breakfast, leaving Zayn with the task of getting Louis up and ready. 

Zayn sighed a little and looked down at the small boy that was curled up in his lap. Zayn never liked being woken up, so naturally he didn't like waking up other people either. After a minute, he leaned down.  
"Louis," he whispered, "it's time to get up, love."  
Louis stirred a little bit, but enough that he was actually awake. So Zayn sighed again and shook Louis's shoulder slightly.  
"Lou, you've got to get up now.." He murmured.  
Louis slowly stretched out his little limbs and yawned, rubbing his eyes. Zayn couldn't help but smile at how cute he looked. Louis opened his azure eyes and looked up at Zayn sleepily. Zayn smiled at him.  
"Morning, Lou." He murmured and kissed the boy's forehead, picking him up.  
Louis snuggled into him absentmindedly. "Morning, Mister Zayn.." He mumbled back.  
Zayn smiled wider. "How about we give you a bath and get you dressed, yeah?"  
Louis nodded, lifting his head off of Zayn's shoulder to look at him. 

Zayn smiled at him and took him into the bathroom. He set Louis down and went over to the bathtub, letting the water fill the tub up. Louis set his teddy bear down on the counter and quickly went to the bathroom before taking off his pajamas and letting Zayn help him into the tub filled with warm water. Louis splashed around a little bit in the water and then looked up at Zayn, a gleam in his eyes that hadn't been there before. His eyes looked brighter, brighter with happiness.  
"Let's wash you off." Zayn said, kneeling down on the mat next to the bathtub.  
Louis nodded a little and let Zayn wash his hair and his body, still playing with the water.  
Zayn quickly washed the small boy's hair and body. He watched Louis play for a minute and then helped him out and dried him off. Louis was smiling when Zayn moved the towel awake form his face, revealing his messed up hair. Zayn grinned back and kissed his nose making Louis scrunch his face up and giggle a bit. Zayn grinned wider and helped Louis get dressed. Then he brushed Louis's hair for him and decided that on their day out they would need to get him a haircut because he could barely see from underneath his brunette fringe.

He and Louis go out to the kitchen together. Liam was waiting for them with pancakes cooked and another cup of tea for both him and Zayn. Louis had grabbed his teddy bear on the way out of the bathroom and set it on his lap once he sat down. Liam set a plate of pancakes with syrup and butter in front of them. Louis smiled.  
"Thank you, Mister Liam." He said and started to eat them.  
Liam smiled back. "You're very welcome, love."  
Zayn smiled at the two of them and took his cup of tea and a plateful of eggs that Liam had made for him. Liam took his plate too and they both sat down, thinking about what would go on that day when they were out of the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...the next chapter will be long probably because it's going to be their day out! And then lots of other stuff will happen...so...yeah... Thank you for reading!!!


	4. Their Day Out

When they were all done with their breakfast, Liam and Zayn put on their jackets (Louis didn't have a decent one, so they would buy one when they were out) and went out into the car. Louis let Liam strap him into the carseat, and looked out the window when Zayn started driving. Zayn glanced back at Louis who was holding onto his teddy bear and looking out the window and took a mental picture. He was always looking for things to draw, and now he had the perfect model.  
"I saw your drawing this morning." Liam said to Zayn, looking up from his phone on which he was texting their friend Harry.  
Zayn smiled a little and looked over at him. "Did you?"  
Liam nodded. "Yeah, it was really good. I still don't understand how you can just memorize images like that, let alone put them on paper.  
Zayn laughed. "It's really not that hard, Li."  
"Yes it is!" Liam protested. Zayn had tried to teach Liam how to draw many times before but none of them had been successful considering Liam had absolutely no artistic talent.  
"Whatever you say, love." Zayn said, shaking his head a little. Art just came so naturally to him, he didn't really understand when people couldn't draw or paint like himself.  
Liam rolled his eyes and looked down at his phone when it vibrated, signalling Harry had replied.

Harry had been Liam's best friend at the university they went to together. Harry and Liam used to always go to this one coffee shop on the weekends, and that's where they met Niall. He worked there, and after a few months he had become the third of their little group. About a year after they had met, Niall and Harry announced to Liam that they were dating. Liam was fine with this, except for the fact that he was starting to become a third wheel. Soon enough, Niall and Harry wanted to live together, and Liam was left without his curly-haired roommate and went in search of a new one. He found one, he was from Bradford, and his hair was dark as were his eyes. His name was Zayn. Within weeks, the two of them were dating. So that's how it all started. Liam and Zayn got married a year after they left the university, but Harry and Niall were yet to get married. It baffled Liam and Zayn that their neither of their friends had popped the question yet, but they were happy, and maybe they would never get married. Maybe that's just how they were.

Liam looked at the text Harry had sent him.  
 _Come on, Li! We want to meet him!_  
Liam sighed. _You'll just have to wait a couple of weeks, Haz._  
 _That's not fair! You just want him all to yourself.._  
Liam rolled his eyes. He had sent a picture of Louis to the Chesire man a few minutes before, and he kept pestering him to let himself and Niall meet the boy.  
 _Harry, you can meet him once he's comfortable around us, okay?_  
He could practically hear Harry sigh when he got the reply. _Fine. Make sure he gets comfortable soon._  
 _I'll do my best._  
 _And send me and Niall more pictures._  
Liam chuckled. _Will do, Curly._  
Liam set his phone down and reached across and took Zayn's hand before glancing back at Louis. He was still mesmerized by the cars and buildings flashing past his window. 

Soon enough, Zayn pulled into the parking lot for the shopping center and parked in a spot by the front. He got out and so did Liam who helped Louis out as well. Louis held onto Liam's hand with one of his, and the other hand had a tight hold of his teddy bear. The three of them walked inside and Zayn asked,  
"Where to?"  
Liam gestured to a children's clothing store and they walked in. Louis looked around the store with his eyes wide. Liam and Zayn both chuckled and walked farther into the store. They figured out Louis's size when he tried on a few things and picked out a bunch of clothes for him. Louis helped pick them out alone with a few sets of pajamas for him. When they went over to the section with jackets, the two men let Louis pick out the jacket he wanted. Louis took the task very seriously and even gave his bear (who's name was Teddy) to Liam to hold. Zayn helped Louis take the jackets off the hangers and try them on, and after about ten minutes, Louis finally picked out a red one that had pockets and a hood. They decided that they had the clothes that they needed and went up to pay. Louis was reluctant to give up his jacket, but when Liam gave him Teddy he was okay. 

By the time they were out of the store, they were all a bit hungry and it was time for lunch. After lunch they were going to go to the grocery store, so they decided to go to a little diner that was on the way to the store. They went back out to the car and Liam strapped Louis into his car seat while Zayn put the bags in the back of the car. They got into their seats and Zayn started the car, he glanced back at Louis who was pushing his hair out of his face and remembered that they needed to get his hair cut.  
"Li?" He asked, backing out of the parking space.  
"Yes?" Liam replied, looking over at him.  
"We need to get Lou's hair cut."  
"Oh yeah," Liam said, "we can do that. There's a place by the grocery store we can go to."  
Zayn nodded. "Alright. Sounds good."

A few minutes later, Zayn parked in front of the diner and the couple got out. Liam helped Louis out of the car, and the three of them walked inside, Louis still carrying along his bear. Zayn opened the door and followed the other two in. They waited for a minute and then the three of them got seated at a booth, Louis and Zayn on one side and Liam on the other. They were handed menus and Zayn helped Louis figure out what the things on his kid's menu were by Louis looking at the pictures and Zayn reading the words. Liam smiled to himself as he looked over the menu, listening to Zayn helping Louis sound out the words. Eventually he decided on chicken strips and milk. A waitress came and took all of their orders and took Liam and Zayn's menus. Louis took the crayons he had been given earlier and started coloring the pictures that were on the menu. Liam and Zayn talked about random things as they waited for the waitress to come back with their food. After a few minutes she did and they all started eating. Louis ate slowly, carefully tearing apart each of his chicken strips and dipping them into the ranch that came on the plate. He ate some of the french fries too and smiled to himself. The small boy was too absorbed with his food that he didn't notice the two men talking about him as they ate.

When they were all full and Louis's picture was completely colored, Liam paid for their lunch and the trio went back into the car. Zayn drove them to the place where the grocery store and the hair-cutting place was. They got out and Louis looked up at the salon  
in confusion.  
"I thought we were going to the grocery store?"  
"We're going to get your hair cut first, okay?" Zayn said, crouching down to be at Louis's height.  
Louis nodded slowly. "Get my hair cut at a haircutter's place?"  
Zayn nodded. "Yes, at the haircutter's place."  
Louis looked at him suspiciously. "Okay.."  
Zayn smiled. "We'll be with you the whole time." He assured him.  
"Will you hold my hand?" Louis asked, his thumb hovering by his mouth, threatening to slip in.  
"Of course I will." Zayn said.  
"Thank you, Mister Zayn." Louis whispered.  
Zayn smiled. "You don't have to call me that, love." he whispered back before the three of them went inside.

A woman greeted them and motioned for Louis to follow her to a chair- one that was shaped like a firetruck- and Liam picked him up and helped him inside. The hairdresser draped the large cape around him. It was covered in penguins with a blue background and Louis clutched onto his teddy bear tightly underneath it. The hairdresser made Louis's chair go up higher and then went to get her scissors, asking Liam what he wanted done with Louis's hair. Liam told her just to clean it up a little, and Zayn went around to Louis's other side. Louis looked at him, biting his lip with fear in his eyes.  
"Is she going to hurt me?" he whispered.  
Zayn shook his head, crouching down. "No, love. She's just going to cut your hair."  
Louis nodded slowly and moved his arms around so one hand was peeking out from under the cape. Zayn smiled and reached his hand up to hold Louis's. Louis smiled too, but it disappeared when the lady started spraying his hair and brushing it out. His feathery brown hair fell in front of his eyes and he pouted, glaring up at his hair, making the most adorable face Zayn had ever seen. Liam and Zayn both chuckled and watched as the lady cut Louis's hair and then mussed it up just perfectly so it looked good. All three of them liked his new haircut, so the hairdresser took the cape off and let Zayn pick the boy up. Louis wrapped his arms around Zayn's neck, holding onto him tightly, his hand fisted around his Teddy. 

Zayn smiled and Liam payed and tipped the hairdresser before ushering Zayn out. The Bradford man was still carrying Louis who seemed to be starting to fall asleep, still holding onto Zayn tightly. Zayn sent Liam a reassuring smile so Liam led them inside the grocery store that was just next door to the hairdresser's. Liam got a cart and said that Zayn could put Louis in it, but Zayn just shook his head. He knew that Louis was almost asleep, and he wouldn't be comfortable in the cart. Zayn also really liked the feeling of holding Louis in his arms, but he wasn't going to admit that.

Liam pushed the cart around and got the things they needed with Zayn trailing along behind. He occasionally reminded Liam of something they needed, or told him not to get something he was looking at because they already had it at home, or they just didn't need it. About halfway through their trip, Louis fell asleep, his head on Zayn's shoulder. The couple walked around the store for another ten minutes, doing the shopping they needed to do. Zayn remembered about the pull-ups that they were going to get and went and got them-making sure they were the right size-and setting them in cart before he and Liam went to the check-out. They paid for their things and went to their car. Liam put the bags in the back and Zayn put Louis in his carseat, careful not to wake him up. The two men got into their seats and Liam glanced back at Louis and smiled.  
"Take a picture of him and send it to Harry." He said as started the car.  
Zayn reached his phone out and did as Liam said before asking, "Why?"  
"He keeps asking for pictures of Lou." Liam answered and shrugged.  
Zayn nodded slightly and put his phone away, hoping Harry would be content with the picture.

When they got home, Liam took the bags inside while Zayn took care of getting Louis. He carefully unstrapped the small boy and picked him up. He went inside with him and took the pull up that Liam handed to him. He quickly changed Louis out of his clothes and put him in a pull-up and one of the onesies they had bought for him earlier that day. Then he put Louis-who was still fast asleep-in his bed and covered him up with his blanket. He kissed Louis's forehead and went out to the kitchen where he helped Liam put away the groceries. They sat together and talked and kissed and watched television for a while before they decided to make dinner. Their day must have tired Louis out, because he stayed asleep all the way through dinner and into the night. He did wake up later though.

There were nightmares that night, but thanks to Zayn, there was no cleaning up for Liam to do.


End file.
